Firstly my system so we put things in proper context.
Previous preamp. Conrad Johnson PV-14 L hybrid, an excellent preamplifier in it's own right.
Sources: Opera Consonance Reference 2.2 CD player / Linn Sondek LP 12 with RB300 arm and BenzMicro Glider cartridge.
Musical Fidelity XLP S phono stage
Bryston 7B ST monoblock amplifiers
KEF Reference 3. 2 speakers.
Cabling from Audioquest, Cardas, MIT, Madrigal and V d H in various combinations.

The system sounds great as it was, however..
... it seem to me, at certain frequencies ( mostly in the treble region) and with some recordings, it was becoming a bit too "clinical" / overly detailed / bright, take your pick.
This became apparent when an earlier Audio Research LS 2 was replaced with the C J preamplifier ( mentioned above).

Being a great believer in component synergy, I decided to purchase the BP 25 and make some direct comparissons.. Well, what a revelation!

The Bryston preamplifier restored the sonic balance in my system, the weight of the piano is now very real and palpable, the harmonics of the notes are allowed to decay in a natural way while, with the Conrad Johnson it was more of a very controlling sound, stop and start of notes too quickly for it's own good!

The micro detail and dynamics are still there but n o t i n y o u r f a c e, as it was the case with the previous preamp.

This combination is much more listenable, one can listen to music for long periods of time without any fatigue or aggression and, with that, don't think the BP 25 is short on fireworks - when fireworks are needed. But it does in a way that seems to make much more musical sense, at least to me.

The BP 25 is a minimalist component, no frills of any kind, everything serves a good purpose, like the remote control that controls only the volume control, absolute phase polarity ( very useful with some CDs) and a muting facility. It's simple, effective, well made (solid metal) and works well from quite a distance.

The preamplifier offers twin RCA output sockets as well as XLR balanced ones and two pairs of XLR balanced inputs if the user has sources offering balanced operation.

The outboard power supply is always a nice touch, especially when it comes to preamplifiers with their very sensitive, low signal circuits, that can be prone to electromagnetically induced noises.

All in all, a very well thought product that performs beyond expectation and, I now know, it gives some other much more expensive brands something to think about. ( ..as I found out from previous experience..)

Highly recommended, particularly if you have Bryston amplification.

Bought this along with a Bryston 4B and a set of Energy Veritas 2.3's all at the same time. The BP 25 was a nice pre-amp. It was my first pre-amp/amp set up and so had nothing to compare it to. Loved the build quality. The remote if thrown at someone could probably kill them. Solid being the word.
I sold the system to a buddy and would now like it back.

As a tube fans I puchased additional pre+amp to cover my tube weakness in bass and rock genre.
Got a good deal on second BP 25 + 2BSst and to my suprise they match up very well.
If your listening preference is towards warm and tube like sound then all you need to add to this setup is a balance transparent cable. This trio match up well producing closer to tube sound with a good bass and punch in rock genre. This setup becomes even more involving after it burns in and you get a three dimensional like sound stage (that depends on your speaker though).
All I can say is dont pass up a good deal on these babies :)

I purchased this preamp 4 mounts ago and I'm still amazed by its quality. Before this one a had 2 Brystons (1B and .5B) and one Naim (NAC 112). I was satisfied with the other preamp, but I must admit that's (IMO) the best one. The soundstaging is fantastic, Its also clear and natural with a beautiful presence.

I paid it 1100$ on Ebay, but it worts every penny of this amount... and, for the first time, I have the impression to got the right preamp I will keep for years...

Guarantee, excellent build qualiy, balanced inputs, a lot really.

Coldish sound compared to the best products out there. Detail could be improved in terms of information retrieval.

Well, after 4 years I finally moved up from this unit. For its price range, it is great in terms of build, transparency and flexibility. I won't repeat what others have said here about the good things, they are all true. The only problem is that this once you are prepared to move north of what this unit costs, you can certainly do much better in terms of detail, bass extension and warmth. As a company, I love these guys, they are truly class leaders in terms of build quality and product support. they just need to start thinking about how to make a better preamp that costs more to build and delivers the level of detail you can expect at the top end. I know they can do it!!

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slimline balanced inputs remote

not as good as it could be.

I owned a Bryston pre/power for a while and kept on thinking that there was something missing in the sound. The cause was the BP.25. Don't get me wrong, it's good but just not as good as their power amps. I finally changed it to a Naim 82 and supercap.

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Naim 82 Audio Research Conrad johnson premier 18 LS

Sound Built quality Comfort (on front panel, remote is limited) Reliability Overall look, image, feeling

None

It's a killer preamp, all what you need. OK, it's no the cheapest, but well built, the comfort is great (balance, mono switch, phase switch, lots a imputs), balance in-outs etc.). The nice remote control give's you a feeling of having "some power" over the music; and the perampl is small and elegant (even though I didn't like the black finich and painted it in "blanc cassé"). I've changed some parts inside, like the voltage regulator (standard are cheap fixed regulators), bypassed the output caps, and varniched all with C37 lacqueer. Lots a work for little improvement, but now it's a great preamp. Have heard better (some tupe gear), at a little more money, but if you're looking for a trouble free high end preamp with a correct price ratio, it's your deal.

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Homemade Tube (5687) preamp, works but not totally finished yet.

Transparent sound, build quality, warranty

None

The difference this unit made in my system was greater than switching cd players. I'm amazed. I was using an Arcam Alpha 9C with my Bryston 3B ST. (I wanted to save a few bucks.) The sound of the Arcam is complete mush. The Bryston has an excellent headphone amp too.( Something the Arcam claimed to have.)

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everything

nothing

WOW! Incredible preamp....lots of inputs, mm and mc phono, very good integrated headphoneamp that shuts off preamp out when plugged in, solid controls, functional minimalist remote (volume, mute and phase, and most importantly just gets out of the way of the music. Truly awesome. surpassed my expectations.

Very quiet, neutral, and revealing.

Remote is very minimal, and doesn't do source selection.

I had an Adcom preamp previously, which was not at all bad for the price, but this is in a different class. There is no audible noise from it at all - just dead silence when the music's not on. The sound is very clean, and I've picked up details from my CDs I couldn't detect previously. I'm very impressed.

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